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James Dunn (theologian)

{{short description|British New Testament scholar and theologian (1939-2020)}}

{{for|persons of a similar name|James Dunn (disambiguation)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}

{{Infobox academic

| honorific_prefix =

| name = James Dunn

| honorific_suffix ={{post-nominals|country=GBR|FBA|size=100%}}

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name = James Douglas Grant Dunn

| birth_date = {{birth date|1939|10|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Birmingham, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|06|26|1939|10|21|df=y}}

| death_place = Chichester, West Sussex, England

| other_names = Jimmy Dunn

| region =

| nationality = British

| period =

| known_for = New Perspective on Paul

| spouse =

| children =

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| era =

| discipline = Biblical studies

| sub_discipline = New Testament studies

| movement =

| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list | University of Glasgow | Clare College, Cambridge}}

| thesis_title = The Baptism in the Holy Spirit{{cite thesis |last=Dunn |first=James Douglas Grant |year=1968 |title=The Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A Re-Examination of the New Testament Teaching on the Gift of the Spirit in the Light of Pentacostalism Today |degree=PhD |location=Cambridge, England |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}

| thesis_url =

| thesis_year = 1968

| doctoral_advisor = C. F. D. Moule{{cite book |last1=Oropeza |first1=B. J. |last2=Robertson |first2=C. K. |last3=Mohrmann |first3=Douglas C. |year=2009 |chapter=Editors' Preface |editor1-last=Oropeza |editor1-first=B. J. |editor2-last=Robertson |editor2-first=C. K. |editor3-last=Mohrmann |editor3-first=Douglas C. |title=Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives in Honour of James D. G. Dunn for His 70th Birthday |location=London |publisher=T&T Clark |page=xxi |isbn=978-0-567-62953-1}}

| doctoral_students = {{flatlist|

  • Helen Bond
  • Emmanuel Chinwokwu
  • Simon J. Gathercole
  • James F. McGrath{{cite web |last=McGrath |first=James F. |date=3 August 2014 |title=James D. G. Dunn on Gaza |url=http://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionprof/2014/08/james-d-g-dunn-on-gaza.html |website=Religion Prof |publisher=Patheos |access-date=23 October 2018}}
  • Scot McKnight{{cite book |last=McKnight |first=Scot |author-link=Scot McKnight |year=1995 |title=The NIV Application Commentary: Galatians |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan |publisher=Zondervan |publication-date=2014 |isbn=978-0-310-57144-5}}
  • B. J. Oropeza
  • Ken Schenck
  • Graham Twelftree

}}

| notable_students =

| main_interests =

| workplaces = University of Durham

| notable_works = The New Perspective on Paul (2007)

| notable_ideas =

| influences = E. P. Sanders{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=I. Howard |author1-link=I. Howard Marshall |last2=Travis |first2=Stephen |last3=Paul |first3=Ian |year=2002 |title=Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters & Revelation |edition=2nd |location=Downers Grove, Illinois |publisher=InterVarsity Press |page=52 |isbn=978-0-8308-6940-4}}

| influenced = {{flatlist|

  • Scot McKnight
  • N. T. Wright{{cite book |last=Alaniz |first=Manny |year=2013 |title=Deficiencies in the Justification of the Ungodly: A Look at N. T. Wright's View of the Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness |location=Eugene, Oregon |publisher=Wipf & Stock |page=7 |isbn=978-1-62189-778-1}}

}}

| awards =

}}

James Douglas Grant Dunn {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FBA}} (21 October 1939 – 26 June 2020),{{Cite web |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/scot-mcknight/2020/june/rest-in-peace-jimmy.html |title=Rest in Peace, Jimmy |access-date=26 June 2020 |archive-date=27 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627115653/https://www.christianitytoday.com/scot-mcknight/2020/june/rest-in-peace-jimmy.html/ |url-status=dead }} also known as Jimmy Dunn, was a British New Testament scholar, who was for many years the Lightfoot Professor of Divinity in the Department of Theology at the University of Durham. He is best known for his work on the New Perspective on Paul, which is also the title of a book he published in 2007.

He worked broadly within the Methodist tradition and was a member of the Church of Scotland and the Methodist Church of Great Britain during his life.

Biography

Dunn was born on 21 October 1939[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U151527 DUNN, Prof. James Douglas Grant], Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 in Birmingham, England.

He had the following degrees:

Dunn was licensed as a minister of the Church of Scotland in 1964. He was chaplain to overseas students at Edinburgh University in 1968–70.

In 1970, Dunn became a lecturer in divinity at the University of Nottingham, and was promoted to reader in 1979. Whilst at Nottingham, he served as a Methodist local preacher.

He became Professor of Divinity at Durham University in 1982, and in 1990 became Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham.{{citation|url=https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/fellows/james-dunn-FBA |title=Professor James Dunn FBA |work=The British Academy|access-date=11 December 2019}}{{citation|url=https://jesusandpaulandthenewtestament.wordpress.com/2016/02/09/a-brief-literary-biography-of-james-d-g-dunn/ |title=A Brief Literary Biography of James D. G. Dunn |work=Jesus and Paul and the New Testament |first1=Michael |last1=Metts |first2=Robert |last2=Wiesner |date=9 February 2016}} He retired in 2003, and was succeeded as Lightfoot Professor of Divinity by John M. G. Barclay.{{citation|url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/theology.religion/staff/profile/?id=2008 |title=Professor John Barclay, Lightfoot Professor of Divinity in the Department of Theology and Religion|work=Durham University |access-date=11 December 2019}}

For 2002, Dunn was the President of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, an international body for New Testament study. Only three other British scholars had been made President of the body in the preceding 25 years. In 2006 he became a Fellow of the British Academy.{{citation|url=http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/elections/2006/dunn_j.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722171302/http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/elections/2006/dunn_j.html |title=Professor James Dunn, Lightfoot Professor of Divinity Emeritus, University of Durham |work = British Academy |archive-date=22 July 2012}}

In 2005 a Festschrift was published dedicated to Dunn, comprising articles by 27 New Testament scholars, examining early Christian communities and their beliefs about the Holy Spirit in Christianity.{{cite book |author= Graham N. Stanton, Bruce W. Longenecker & Stephen Barton (editors) |title=The Holy Spirit and Christian origins: essays in honor of James D. G. Dunn |publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2004 |isbn=0-8028-2822-1 }} In 2009 another Festschrift was dedicated to Dunn for his 70th birthday, consisting of two forewords by N. T. Wright and Richard B. Hays and 17 articles all written by his former students who went on to have successful careers in either academic and ministerial fields around the world.{{cite book |year=2009 |editor1-last=Oropeza |editor1-first=B. J. |editor2-last=Robertson |editor2-first=C. K. |editor3-last=Mohrmann |editor3-first=Douglas C. |title=Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives in Honour of James D. G. Dunn for His 70th Birthday |location=London |publisher=T&T Clark |isbn=978-0-567-62953-1}}

Dunn was especially associated with the New Perspective on Paul, along with N. T. Wright and E. P. Sanders.Scot McKnight and B. J. Oropeza, eds., Perspectives on Paul: Five Views. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020, pp. 1-23. Richard N. Longenecker, {{Google books|id=5Qs54KfN5dIC|page=327|title=Introducing Romans: Critical Issues in Paul's Most Famous Letter}}. Eerdmans, 2011. {{ISBN|978-0802866196}}

Dunn took up Sanders' project of redefining Palestinian Judaism in order to correct the Christian view of Judaism as a religion of works-righteousness. In his Parting of the Ways, Dunn highlighted four pillars of first-century Judaism as monotheism, election and land, Torah and Temple. One of the most important differences from Sanders is that Dunn perceives a fundamental coherence and consistency to Paul's thought. He furthermore criticizes Sanders' understanding of the term justification, arguing that Sanders' understanding suffers from an "individualizing exegesis".

Dunn also studied the origins of Christianity with special consideration for the oral traditions of early Christian communities, as well as with social memory theory.{{cite book |first= Anthony |last= Le Donne | title= The Historiographical Jesus: Memory, Typology, and the Son of David| year= 2009 |publisher= Baylor University Press |page= 11 |isbn= 978-1602580657}}

Works

Dunn wrote or edited fifty books and numerous papers, including:

=Books=

  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |title=Baptism in the Holy Spirit |series=Studies in Biblical Theology Second Series |volume=15 |publisher=SCM Press |location=London |year=1970 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Jesus and the Spirit |publisher=SCM Press |location=London |year=1975 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The Evidence for Jesus |publisher=Westminster Press |location=Philadelphia, PA |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-664-24698-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/evidenceforjesus00dunn }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Christology in the making: a New Testament inquiry into the origins of the doctrine of the incarnation |publisher=Westminster Press |location=Philadelphia, PA |year=1980 |isbn=0-664-24356-8 }}
  • {{Cite book|title=The Kingdom of God and North East England|publisher=SCM Press|year=1986|isbn=0334008379|editor-last=Dunn|editor-first=James D. G.|editor-mask=3|location=London}}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Romans 1-8, 9-16 |publisher=Word Books |location=Waco, TX |year=1988 |isbn=0-8499-0252-5 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Jesus, Paul, and the Law: studies in Mark and Galatians |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |location=Louisville, KY |year=1990 |isbn=0-664-25095-5 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Unity and diversity in the New Testament: an inquiry into the character of earliest Christianity |publisher=SCM Press |location=London |year=1990 |isbn=0-334-02436-6 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The Partings of the Ways between Christianity and Judaism and their Significance for the Character of Christianity |publisher=SCM Press |location=London |year=1991 |isbn=0-334-02508-7 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The Epistle to Galatians |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |location=Peabody, Mass |year=1993 |isbn=1-56563-036-X }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Paul for Today. The Ethel M. Wood Lecture, 10 March 1993 |location=London |publisher=University of London |date=1993 |isbn=9780718711061 |oclc=877271473 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |author2-last=Suggate |author2-first=Alan M. |title=The justice of God: a fresh look at the old doctrine of justification by faith |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=1994 |isbn=0-8028-0797-6 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: a commentary on the Greek text |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=1996 |isbn=0-8028-2441-2 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The Acts of the Apostles |location=Valley Forge, PA |publisher=Trinity Press International |year=1996 |isbn=9781563381928 |oclc=36519627 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The Theology of Paul the Apostle |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=1998 |isbn=0-8028-3844-8 }}
  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Dunn |editor1-first=James D. G. |editor1-mask=3 |title=The Cambridge companion to St. Paul |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |year=2003 |isbn=0-521-78694-0 }}
  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Dunn |editor1-first=James D. G. |editor1-mask=3 |editor2-last=Rogerson |editor2-first=John W. |editor2-link=John W. Rogerson |title=Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2003 |isbn=0-8028-3711-5 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Christianity in the Making: Vol. 1, Jesus Remembered |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2003 |isbn=0-8028-3931-2 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=A New Perspective On Jesus: What The Quest For The Historical Jesus Missed |series=Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology |publisher=Baker Academic |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2005 |isbn=0-8010-2710-1 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The New Perspective On Paul |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8028-4562-7 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Christianity in the Making: Vol. 2, Beginning from Jerusalem |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8028-3932-9 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The Living Word |publisher=Fortress Press |location=Minneapolis, MN |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8006-6355-1 |edition=second }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Did the first Christians worship Jesus? |publisher=Society for promoting Christian knowledge |location=London - Louisville, KY |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-281-05928-7}}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Jesus, Paul, and the Gospels |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-8028-6645-5}}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=The Oral Gospel Tradition |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-8028-6782-7}}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Christianity in the Making: Vol. 3, Neither Jew nor Greek: A Contested Identity |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-8028-3933-6 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Jesus according to the New Testament |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-8028-7669-0 }}

=Chapters=

  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |chapter=Paul's Understanding of the Death of Jesus |editor1-last=Banks |editor1-first=Robert J. |editor1-link=Robert J. Banks (theologian) |title=Reconciliation and Hope. New Testament Essays on Atonement and Eschatology Presented to L.L. Morris on his 60th Birthday |location=Carlisle, UK |publisher=The Paternoster Press |date=1974 |pages=125–141 }}
  • {{cite book |author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |chapter=Demythologising - The Problem of Myth in the New Testament |editor1-last=Marshall |editor1-first=I. Howard |editor1-link=I. Howard Marshall |title=New Testament Interpretation: Essays on Principles and Methods |location=Carlisle, UK |publisher=The Paternoster Press |date=1977 |isbn=0853644241 |pages=285–307 }}

=Journal articles=

  • {{cite journal|author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title='They believed Philip preaching' (Acts 8:12): a Reply |journal=Irish Biblical Studies |volume=1 |issue=3 |date=July 1979 |pages=177–183 }}
  • {{cite journal|author1-last=Dunn |author1-first=James D. G. |author1-mask=3 |title=Demythologizing the Ascension - A Reply to Professor Gooding |journal=Irish Biblical Studies |volume=3 |issue=1 |date=Jan 1981 |pages=15–27 }}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.dur.ac.uk/theology.religion/staff/profile/?id=664 Professional page, Durham University]
  • [http://www.thepaulpage.com The New Perspective on Paul]
  • [http://frankviola.org/2012/06/25/jamesdgdunn/ James D. G. Dunn in-depth interview] on "Beyond Evangelical"

{{s-start}}

{{s-npo|pro}}

{{s-bef|before=Tjitze Baarda}}

{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|President of the}} Studiorum
Novi Testamenti Societas|years=2002}}

{{s-aft|after=Hans-Josef Klauck}}

{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, James}}

Category:1939 births

Category:2020 deaths

Category:20th-century British theologians

Category:20th-century Christian biblical scholars

Category:21st-century British theologians

Category:21st-century Christian biblical scholars

Category:Academics of Durham University

Category:Arminian theologians

Category:Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge

Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow

Category:British biblical scholars

Category:British Christian theologians

Category:British evangelicals

Category:British Methodists

Category:Fellows of the British Academy

Category:Methodist local preachers

Category:New Testament scholars

Category:People educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School

Category:People from Birmingham, West Midlands

Category:Scottish Christian theologians

Category:Scottish biblical scholars

Category:Scottish evangelicals

Category:Scottish Methodists

Category:Academics of the University of Nottingham